This film will be preceded by For the Love of Salmon from Jan Vozenilek.

Martina Halik and her 60 year-old mother, Tania, embark on a six-month ski trek through the treacherous Coast Mountains of British Columbia. This journey has only been completed once before, and never by a female duo. Woven through their arduous and uplifting story are vignettes of others who have chosen a mountain life: a group of nuns inhabiting a mountain retreat to be closer to God; a photographer buried in an avalanche; an impassioned alpinist; a focused snow artist; and a couple who has been living off grid in the mountains for nearly 50 years. What is it that leads these adventurous people to sacrifice everything - comfort, family, personal safety - for a life in the mountains?

In their third collaboration, Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier team up to explore industrialization and contemplate humanity’s impact on the planet. Narrated by Alicia Vikander, this Canadian documentary spans six continents and 20 countries, capturing alarming evidence of mankind’s never-ending quest for dominance over the natural world in this current geological age.

Quotes:
“...ANTHROPOCENE URGENTLY USES THE VISUAL POWER OF CINEMA TO REMIND AUDIENCES THAT THE EARTH’S BEAUTY ISN’T THEIRS FOR THE TAKING.”
-Pat Mullen, POV

“...THE IMAGES THEY CAPTURE ARE STUNNING AND DAMNING IN EQUAL MEASURE.”
-Andrew Parker, The Gate

“STUNNINGLY, EVEN HYPNOTICALLY SHOT – FROM THE WORLD’S LARGEST LANDFILL IN KENYA, TO THE MOST POLLUTED CITY IN RUSSIA TO TONS OF TUSKS REPRESENTING 10,000 DEAD ELEPHANTS. A HARD DOC TO WALK AWAY FROM UNAFFECTED.”
-Jim Slotek, Original Cin

The newest film from Lars von Trier follows the exploits of Jack (Matt Dillon), a highly intelligent killer, over the course of twelve years, introducing the audience to the murders that define his development as a serial killer. Throughout the various incidents of the film, Jack postulates that murder is a form of art in itself. As the police investigation draws nearer, Jack takes larger and larger risks in his attempt to create the ultimate piece of art. The House That Jack Built is both a dark and sinister story, presented in a philosophical and occasionally darkly humorous way.

When their kingdom becomes trapped in perpetual winter, fearless Anna (Kristen Bell) joins forces with mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer sidekick to find Anna's sister, Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), and break her icy spell. Although their epic journey leads them to encounters with mystical trolls, a comedic snowman (Josh Gad), harsh conditions, and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff bravely push onward in a race to save their kingdom from winter's cold grip. Based on the classic 1844 Hans Christian Andersen fairy-tale, The Snow Queen, the film features eight original songs from Christophe Beck, with lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Quotes:
“THE SHOWSTOPPING CENTRAL MUSICAL NUMBER IS A GLORIOUS ANTHEM TO FEMALE POWER AND ABILITY… AND SO, IN FACT, IS THE WHOLE WONDERFUL MOVIE. DISNEY IS FINALLY GETTING IT.”
-MaryAnn Johanson, flickfilosopher

“THIS IS SIMPLY THE BEST CHILDREN'S FILM IN AGES, A TOTAL FROSTY DELIGHT.”
-Camilla Long, Sunday Times

The film follows Zain, a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the "crime" of giving him life. His story moves him from being a gutsy, streetwise child, to hardened 12-year-old "adult" fleeing his negligent parents. Surviving on his wits, he meets Ethiopian migrant worker, Rahil, who provides him with shelter and food, as Zein takes care of her baby son, Yonas, in return. Later imprisoned for committing a violent crime, Zain finally seeks justice and redemption in a courtroom.

Quotes:
“LABAKI SHOWS US, IN GRANULAR, STREET-LEVEL DETAIL - USING MOSTLY NON-PROFESSIONAL ACTORS, MANY OF WHOM ARE REFUGEES THEMSELVES - WHAT LIFE LOOKS LIKE FOR THE UNPROTECTED.”
- Johanna Schneller, Globe and Mail

“CAPERNAUM IS AN ABSOLUTE HEARTBREAKER ABOUT CHILDREN IN PERIL AND THE PLIGHT OF UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE.”
- Peter Howell, Toronto Star

"CAPERNAUM" IS A TOUGH SLOG, NO DOUBT, EVEN BY TOUGH-SLOG STANDARDS. BUT THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT MAKES IT SO REWARDING.”
- Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Awards:
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year nominee at the Academy Awards 2019
Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language nominee at the Golden Globes 2019
Jury Prize, Prix de la Citoyenneté, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury winner, and Palme d’Or nominee at the Cannes Film Festival 2018
Other Awards at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8267604/awards?ref_=tt_awd

This film will be preceded by Descent into the Maelstrom from Jody Tippett (Special Jury Prize Winner at KISS 2018)

After causing the accidental death of a friend’s son at an annual fishing retreat off Haida Gwaii, Adiits’ii (Tyer York) falls into a tailspin and retreats to the wilderness, plagued by guilt. In the throes of insanity, Adiits’ii transforms into the supernatural being Gaagiixid, returning to the following year’s fishing retreat.

Quotes:

“…EDGE OF THE KNIFE NAILS ITS MOST IMPORTANT SCENES AND MAKES A VERY SPECIFIC STORY FEEL UNIVERSAL”
- Matthew Paradis, Cinema Axis

“THE REMOTENESS OF THE LOCATION LENDS ITSELF WELL TO THIS STORY SET AT A TIME WHEN THE CANOE WAS THE MAIN FORM OF TRANSPORT AND ONE LOOKED TO THE SKY TO DETERMINE THE WEATHER. IT’S A COMPELLING TALE THAT THRIVES IN ITS LONG STRETCHES OF MINIMAL TO NO DIALOGUE.”
- Norm McGlashan, Flick Hunter

“WHAT REALLY STICKS IS THE RECONSTRUCTED SLICES OF EVERYDAY LIFE…IN THAT AND OTHER SENSES, THIS KNIFE STAYS VERY SHARP INDEED”
- Ken Eisner, Georgia Straight

This film will be preceded by Methane Ocean from Sean Luciw (Joy Factory 2ndPrize Winner at KISS 2018)

17 years after controversial Vancouver Grizzlies NBA star Bryant ‘Big Country’ Reeves leaves town, super-fan Kat Jayme goes on a mission to find her childhood hero and tell the story of this forgotten legend.

Big Country was the Vancouver Grizzlies first ever draft pick, going sixth overall in the first round, and the star that the Grizzlies hoped to build their future around. He spent his entire NBA career in Vancouver and after his second year with the team, he signed a whopping $61.8 million six year contract. But as an expansion team, the Grizzlies struggled and were the worst team in the NBA during their 6 seasons, failing to even sniff the playoffs. Reeves became a scapegoat for a failed franchise and chronic back injuries forced him into retirement when the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis. It’s been 17 years since the Grizzlies left town and though many sports reporters have tried to get in touch with him, Big Country is still the only Grizzlies player that has never publicly commented on his time in Vancouver. No one in Vancouver has seen or heard of him since his last home game back in 2001.

Quotes:
“The Grizzlies may have been forgotten by their former city, but Jayme ensures that the gentle giant Reeves surely won’t be.”
“charming crowd-pleaser”
- Courtney Small, Reel Asian Reviews

Awards:
Winner Audience Must See BC Award & Super Channel People’s Choice Award at Vancouver International Film Festival 2018
Winner Best Canadian Film at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2018

Italy/USA
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
In English, and in German and French with English subtitles
Horror, Fantasy, Mystery
152 minutes
Rated 18A: explicit violence. DARKFEST

This film will be preceded by Parlour Tricks from Tristan Risk

Co-presented by:

Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is a brilliant young American ballerina who travels to Berlin to study dancing at the Markos Tanz Company, one of the world's most renowned schools, under Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton)'s management. On her very first day, a student who was recently expelled from the school is murdered. The murder does not seem to be an isolated occurrence and Susie soon begins to suspect that the school might have been involved. This reimagining of Argento’s 1977 film features a stunning score by Radiohead's Thom Yorke to accompany the breathtaking nightmare unfolding onscreen.

CARAVAN OF CURIOSITIES CIRCUS & SIDESHOW
Saturday, March 9 at 9:30pm
Paramount Theatre
Before our second DarkFest screening, we’re bringing you something a little (well maybe a lot) different. The Caravan of Curiosities Circus & Sideshow will feature horror film star Tristan Risk and Burns the Dragon performing to the music of Suspiria. You won’t want to miss this.

Ratna works as domestic live-in help with Ashwin, a man from a wealthy family. Although Ashwin seems to have it all, Ratna can sense that he has given up on his dreams and is somewhat lost. On the other hand, penniless Ratna is full of hope and works determinedly towards her goal of becoming a tailor. As these two worlds collide and the two individuals connect, the barriers between them seem only more insurmountable.

Quotes:
“A CINDERELLA TALE OF SORTS, THE FILM NONETHELESS GAINS GRAVITY FOR ITS INSIGHT INTO INDIAN SOCIAL RIGIDITIES THAT TETHER BOTH IMPOVERISHED VILLAGERS AND WELL-HEELED URBANITES.”
- Maggie Lee, Variety

“SIR ISN'T AFTER EPIPHANIES. IT'S MORE INTERESTED IN THE SMALL MOMENTS, THE RITUALS OF DAILY LIFE.”
- Baradwaj Rangan, Film Companion Reviews

“THIS IS A DELICATELY OBSERVED AND ATTRACTIVE DRAMA WITH SOME GREAT MUMBAI CITYSCAPES AND AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE FROM SHOME.”
- Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

Canada
Directed by Zack Bernbaum
In English and in Polish with English subtitles
Comedy, Drama
102 minutes
PG

This film will be preceded by When I’m Dead from Vesta Giles & Nolan McAllister

The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova is a double fish-out-of-water story filled with deadpan humour and touching family drama. A pair of estranged siblings, Sarah (Fogler) and Aaron Cotler (Nyback), must travel to the rural Polish town of Dombrova to fulfil their dying grandmother’s wish: bringing home the bones of her favourite childhood dog, so she can be buried with it. Finding the dog’s remains proves easier said than done as they not only face the wintery countryside of Dombrova, but also its many eccentric characters.

Quotes:
“FOGLER AND NYBACK AS SARAH AND AARON COTLER RESPECTIVELY WERE SO COMPELLING AND FUN TO WATCH”
“EXCELLENT LEAD PERFORMANCES BY KATHERINE FOGLER AND DOUGLAS NYBACK… THEIR GREAT CHEMISTRY MAKE IT A COMPELLING WATCH”
- Keith Noakes, keithlovesmovies.com

“AN ENGAGING MOVIE THAT TAKES THE CONVENTIONAL ROAD TRIP GENRE TO NEW HEIGHTS.”
- George Kozera, Mr. Will Wong

“HILARIOUS AND HEARTWARMING”
“THE INJECTIONS OF HUMOUR HELP PACE THIS FILM OUT AND MAKE IT A JOY TO WATCH. EVEN THE MUSIC HAS A LIGHT-HEARTED FLAVOUR, WHICH GAVE ME A SMILE.”
- Ed Sum, Otaku No Culture

“FEATURING AN ENGAGING CAST AND A TIGHTLY WRITTEN SCRIPT, DANCING DOGS IS A DARK AND DRAMATIC COMEDY THAT HAS MOMENTS WHICH ALMOST ACHIEVE A COEN BROTHERS LEVEL OF RIDICULOUSNESS (IN THE BEST OF WAYS).”
- Steve Norton, ScreenFish

Inspired by real events and spanning three eras of German history, Never Look Away tells the story of a young art student, Kurt Barnert, who has fled to West-Germany, but continues to be tormented by his childhood and youth in the Nazi years and during the GDR-regime. When he meets fellow student Ellie, he is convinced that he has met the love of his life and begins to create paintings that mirror not only his own fate, but also the traumas of an entire generation.

This stunning biographical drama chronicles the final years of famed painter Vincent Van Gogh (Willem Dafoe). Directed by Julian Schnabel, the film delves into the tormented mind of the now-iconic artist as he puts paint to canvas in search of meaning beyond the here and now.

Quotes:
“DAFOE’S ELEGIAC QUALITY HINTS AT WHY THE ARTIST WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME: BECAUSE HE SAW MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE COULD. IT’S A TOWERING PERFORMANCE IN A MOVIE THAT CASTS A MAGNETIC SPELL”
- Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune

“SCHNABEL SUBTLY SALUTES VAN GOGH’S PERSERVERANCE BY UNDERSTANDING HIS NEED TO PAINT IN SPITE OF THE CRUEL, STUPID, WICKED IGNORANCE OF HIS WOLRD”
- Armond White, National Review

“DAFOE FULLY COMMITS TO HIS PERFORMANCE, AS DOES SCHNABEL TO THE PAINTER’S VISION AND HUMANITY. THE RESULT IS A CONSPICUOUS FUSION OF ACTOR, DIRECTOR AND SUBJECT: THREE SOULS CONNECTING, WEDDED TO ART.”
- Leah Pickett, Chicago Reader

Awards:
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Willem Dafoe) at the Golden Globes 2019
Won Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival 2018
Won the Green Drop Award at the Venice Film Festival 2018
Other awards and nominations can be found here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6938828/awards?ref_=tt_awd

Canada
Directed by Miranda de Pencier
In English, and in Inuktitut with English subtitles
Biography, Drama
102 minutes
Rated PG: violence; coarse language

This film will be preceded by Outdoor Weather from Chris Bose (Special Jury Winner at KISS 2018)

Inuit youth in a small community gain a powerful sense of pride and purpose through the sport of lacrosse, in this true-story account of tenacity, renewal, and inspiring resilience.

In 1998, first-time teacher Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) moves north for a job at a local school in Kugluktuk, a town struggling with one of the highest suicide rates in North America. With no previous experience or knowledge of life in the north, Russ is shocked and overwhelmed by the numerous social issues facing the youth, all as a result of the massive legacy of colonization on their families and communities. Russ introduces a lacrosse program in the school. Although the program is at first met with scepticism and resistance, Russ's commitment begins to win the trust of the students and together they form the Grizzlies lacrosse team. Through the sport, the youth find a vital outlet for their emotions and the team creates a sense of pride and purpose in themselves and their community.

France, Belgium
Directed by Giles Lellouche
In French and Sinhalese with English subtitles
Comedy, Drama, Sport
122 minutes
PG

Directed by Gilles Lellouche and starring some of France’s best male actors (Guillaume Canet, Mathieu Amalric and Jean-Hugues Anglade) wearing Speedos, Sink or Swim is pure feel-good entertainment. A group of depressed middle-aged men address their collective midlife crisis when they learn of the existence of a team of male synchronised swimmers at their local pool. Amateurs are welcome, which is just as well given that the rum bunch of current members are neither very synchronised nor especially professional.

After a meteoric rise to pop star fame in her youth, adult Celeste (Natalie Portman) mounts a comeback following an infamous incident that derailed her career. Touring in support of her sixth album, a compendium of sci-fi anthems entitled Vox Lux; the brave, foul-mouthed pop saviour must overcome her personal and familial struggles to navigate motherhood, madness and monolithic fame in the Age of Terror. Featuring original songs by Sia and a transcendent performance by Natalie Portman, personifying and pummelling the zeitgeist, Vox Lux is an origin story about the forces that shape us, as individuals, nations, and gods.

“Vox Lux is an antidote to other recent films on music stardom, eschewing the usual narrative route to give its audience both the joy and discomfort around the role of trauma in addiction and the pressure of fame.”
- Shelagh Rowan-Legg, ScreenAnarchy

“Portman's nervy performance and the movie's dazzling cinematography and haunting music make it worth a look.
- Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

This film will be preceded by Ode to this City from Matt Brooks (TNFC 3rd Prize Winner at KISS 2018)

Elegantly adapted from Richard Ford's novel of the same name, Wildlife centres on Fourteen-year-old Joe who is the only child of Jeanette (Mulligan) and Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal)--a housewife and a golf pro--in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job--and his sense of purpose--he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. With precise details and textures of its specific time and place, Wildlife commits to the viewpoint of a teenage boy observing the gradual dissolution of his parents' marriage.

Quotes:
“CAREY MULLIGAN TREMBLES LIKE A SOUFFLE ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE, AND HER UNFORTUNATE SON CAN DO LITTLE BUT WATCH AND LISTEN AND DO HIS BEST TO GROW UP MUCH TOO FAST. TRUTH BE TOLD, IT'S HIS STORY - BUT IT'S MULLIGAN'S MOVIE.”
- Matthew Lickona, San Diego Reader

“WILDLIFE'S PORTRAIT OF FAMILY LIFE IS MUCH LIKE THE DIRECTOR'S MANY ONSCREEN PERFORMANCES - UNDERSTATED, SAD-EYED, DEEPLY AFFECTING.”
- Bob Mondello, NPR

“[A] SOLEMN AND SOUL-SEARCHING PERIOD PIECE FAMILY DRAMA. WILDLIFE IS AN AFFECTING, LOW-KEY GEM OF AN ABSORBING STORY THAT PACKS AN UNASSUMING PUNCH REGARDING A PORTRAIT OF A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY UNIT LOST IN HEARTBREAK AND INDECISION... THOUGHT-PROVOKING.”
- Frank Ochieng, ScreenAnarchy

Japan
Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Japanese with English subtitles
Crime/Drama
121 minutes
PG

Out-of-work Osamu and Shota, a young boy, spend much of their day shoplifting to subsidize their ragtag group’s low-income existence in Tokyo. Their routine is derailed when they discover a neighbourhood girl, Yuri, locked out, in need, and displaying symptoms of abuse. As local authorities begin the hunt for the missing girl, Osamu and Shota share their thieving ways with her and welcome her into their “family.” However, the group is soon plunged into even more difficulty when an incident forces hidden secrets out into the open.

Quotes:
“OVERFLOWING WITH WARMTH WITHOUT LURCHING INTO SENTIMENTALITY, EMOTIONAL BUT NEVER MANIPULATIVE, “SHOPLIFTERS” ASKS WHAT MAKES A FAMILY, AND HOW AN UNORTHODOX ONE CAN SURVIVE WITHIN THE STRUCTURES OF SOCIETY.”
- Sarah Cartland, Caution Spoilers

“IT’S AN EERILY MOVING PIECE, MASTERFULLY BLURRING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE UNFORGIVABLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE, FINDING TENDERNESS IN THE BLEAKEST AND MOST TRAUMATIC OF CIRCUMSTANCES.”
- Mark Kermode, Observer (UK)

This film will be preceded by Bike Life from Aly Couch & Kara Wright (Joy Factory “Reasons” Prize Winner at KISS 2018)

The film is a funny and touching coming-of-age story that uses football as the backdrop. And while the story will resonate with any true football fan, it is at its heart a love story - first love to be precise - and all the beautiful awkwardness that comes with it. Adapted from the hilarious novel from Dave Roberts, and with a great British cast assembled, The Bromley Boys is a laugh-out-loud feel-good comedy played out to the sights and sounds of Britain in the 1970s. The film is something of a nostalgic trip that fully embraces the era from the fashion and cars, to the music and moustaches. This is the story about a boy, a girl, and the worst football team in the WORLD!

Mexico, USA
Directed and written by Alfonso Cuaron
In English and in Spanish, Norwegian and Japanese with English subtitles
Drama
135 minutes
Rated PG: nudity, coarse language; violence

A story that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City in the early 1970s. Cleo, the maid, works in the household of Sofia and her husband Antonio, which includes their four young children, Sofia's mother, and another maid, Adela. Among scenes of Cleo's life with the family - her cleaning, cooking, taking the kids to and from school, serving them meals, putting the kids to bed and waking them up – the lives of the characters become more illuminated for the audience.

Quotes:
“SO WONDERFUL TO SEE AN ARTIST OPENING AT PEAK PERFORMANCE LEVEL ON SUCH A PERSONAL, VIGOROUS PIECE. THE AESTHETIC IS BOTH PERSONAL AND POLITICAL HERE… [AND] WIELDED TO A WONDERFULLY EMOTIVE, DEVASTATING EFFECT.”
- Berry Jenkins, Director of Moonlight

“CHILDREN OF MEN WAS CUARON’S ONE TRUE MASTERPIECE UNTIL NOW.”
- BBC

“CUARON HAS AN EXTRAORDINDARY WAY OF COMBINING THE CLOSEUP AND THE WIDE-SHOT, THE TELLINGLY OBSERVED DETAIL - HUMOUROUS OR POIGNANT OR JUST EFFORTLESSLY AUTHENTIC - WITH THE BIG PICTURE AND THE SENSE OF SCALE. AT TIMES, IT FEELS NOVELISTIC, A DENSELY REALISED, INTIMATE DRAMA GIVING US ACCESS TO DOMESTIC LIVES DEVELOPING IN WHAT FEELS LIKE REAL TIME. IN ITS ENGAGINGLY EPISODIC WAY, IT IS ALSO AT TIMES LIKE A SOAP OPERA OR TELENOVELA. AND OTHER TIMES, IT FEELS RESOUNDINGLY LIKE AN EPIC.”
- Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Awards:
Won the Golden Lion at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 30th, 2018
Earned nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes 2018.
More awards available at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6155172/awards?ref_=tt_awd

This film will be preceded by Holy Dungerees from Josef Perszon (Mastermind 1st Prize Winner at KISS 2018)

Wendy Fong is a new engineer working in Canada’s oil and gas industry in Alberta. As she and her newfound coworkers reckon with rumours of impending – and ruthless – layoffs, Wendy is forced to weigh her own ethical and moral compass with the industry’s corporate interests and discover what place, if any, she has in the mix. Albertan in every way, the film is Calgary-based Gillian McKercher’s first feature-length work and closely mirrors her own lived experience within the oil and gas industry.

Quotes:
“CIRCLE OF STEEL IS A FUNNY AND OCCASIONALLY SAD EXPLORATION OF LIFE IN ALBERTA’S OILPATCH DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN”
- Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald

“CIRCLE OF STEEL MANAGES TO BALANCE THE DOWNTRODDEN NATURE OF ITS PLOT AND IDEAS WITH LAUGHS – SOME OF THE BLACK COMEDY VARIETY – AND HOPE, MOST OF WHICH COMES FROM THE SURPRISINGLY PHILOSOPHICAL CONVERSATIONS AND INSIGHTS IN WHICH ITS PROTAGONIST ENGAGES.”
- Matthew Parkinson, CineMarter

“WHEN WATCHING THIS FILM, IT FEELS LIKE YOU’RE WATCHING SOMEONE’S REAL LIFE. NOT LIFE A DOCUMENTARY, BUT LIKE A VLOG, MINUS THE MELODRAMATICS OF A YOUTUBER”
- Chanse Alexandra, FilmSnobReviews

This film will be preceded by Pushing Through from Ken Matheson & Shelley Joyce (TNRD Prize Winner at KISS 2018)

A passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatefully mismatched and yet condemned to each other. Set against the context of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia, and Paris, the film depicts an impossible love story in desperate times.

The turbulent relationship between the main characters was inspired by the director's real-life parents, who were the real-life creators of the world-renowned Polish folk dance group Zespól Piesni i Tanca Mazowsze, Tadeusz Sygietynski and Mira Ziminska. They were married and toured the countryside after the war in search of talented young folk singers and dancers.

Quotes:
“Passionate, tempestuous, haunting and assured, this latest from writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski explores, as did his Oscar-winning "Ida," Poland's recent past, resulting in a potent emotional story with political overtones that plays impeccably today.”
-Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“Pawel Pawlikowski's savagely sexy spellbinder burns with a fever that won't quit. Joanna Kulig is a shining new star who rips across the screen like a comet. Forget the frosty title, there's enough sizzling carnality here to singe the screen.”
-Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“A film about a doomed romance, Cold War is a haunting portrait of love during wartime, a love that's maybe not meant to be but utterly, cosmically, inescapable.”
-Joshua Brunsting, The CriterionCast

Awards:
Cannes Film Festival 2018, Best Director, Pawel Pawlikowski
El Gouna International Film Festival 2018, Best Actress, Joanna Kulig
European Film Award, Best European Director, European Screenwriter & European Film
Other Awards available at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6543652/awards?ref_=tt_awd

This film will be preceded by Drive Me Crazy from Phoenix Guzzo (Youth Prize at KISS 2018)

When charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges) returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve, his wary mother Holly (Julia Roberts) soon discovers that he is still very much in harm's way. During the 24 hours that follow, Holly must do everything in her power to prevent the family's downfall.

Quotes:
“THIS IS AN INTIMATE, INCREDIBLY TENSE DRAMA ABOUT A TROUBLED FAMILY BATTLING RAW EMOTIONAL PAINS, A BARE-BONES AND BARE-KNUCKLED LOOK AT THE DESTRUCTIVE POWERS OF ADDICTION.”
- Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“THE MOVIE'S REAL ACHIEVEMENT LIES IN ROBERTS'S PERFORMANCE, WHICH IS POSSIBLY HER BEST. HOLLY IS INCANDESCENT WITH WORRY. SHE'S GOOD AND KIND AND INTIMATE.”
- Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic

“ROBERTS... TAKES HOLD OF THIS MOVIE LIKE A LAMPPOST IN THE WINTER DARKNESS.”
- Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

“DRUG ADDICTION HAS BEEN EXPLORED IN MANY MOVIES, BUT THIS IS AN ESPECIALLY REVEALING LOOK INTO NOT ONLY THE NATURE OF AN ADDICT, BUT THE EFFECT HE HAS HAD ON HIS OWN FAMILY, AND ON THE LIVES OF MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN A TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY.”
- Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

This film will be preceded by a special short film created for KFF 2019 by Joy Films.

14-year-old Ella is determined to kayak the length of the Inside Passage, along the shores of BC’s Great Bear Rainforest, in order to testify against a proposed pipeline that would see oil tanker traffic through her beloved homeland waters. She's prepared for any challenge except her dysfunctional family, who she has to bring on the trip. Her neurotic aunt, her cranky uncle, her wayward cousin, and the memory of her late uncle all come along for the ride, making it a fun and amazing adventure. From Tla'Amin to Klemtu, BC, this family navigates their blend of cultures, while their spirits honour the coast as a place for each of us to protect and call home.

Quotes:
“IT IS A JOURNEY FROM A TO B, STORYTELLING 101 - A SOULFUL GESTURE FREE OF ARTIFICE AND GRANDIOSITY. THAT IT COMES WITH ACTIVISM ATTACHED IS NOT A BONUS, BUT ITS VERY POINT.”
-The Globe and Mail

“KAYAK TO KLEMTU ULTIMATELY SCORES AS A TRIUMPH FOR CANADIAN INDIGENOUS FILMMAKING. THERE ARE COUNTLESS STORIES, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT, IN BC THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM A FIRST NATIONS VOICE BEHIND THE CAMERA. EFFORTS LIKE THIS PROVE THAT THESE MOVIES CAN STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THE BEST CINEMA THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER.”
-Hollywood North Magazine

Awards:
Won Best Director and Best Actor at the American Indian Film Festival 2018
Won the Audience Choice Award at the ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival
Won the Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture and Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture at the Leo Awards
Won Best Canadian First Feature at the Victoria Film Festival 2018